This invention relates to recreational vehicles and in particular to a table support arrangement which combines with an under the floor storage compartment so as to provide easy access thereto.
It is known to provide recreational vehicles with a storage compartment mounted in or below the vehicle floor in a convenient location. One such convenient location is adjacent the rear end of the vehicle. In the case where the rear end of the vehicle is provided with a door, the storage compartment is accessible from both the rear of the vehicle via the open door and from the interior of the vehicle. In many recreational vehicle designs it is also desirable to provide a dining area which is located in close proximity to the storage compartment. In order to conserve space it is desirable in many cases for the dining area table top to be co-extensive with or to extend at least partially over the storage compartment disposed in the floor. The problem then is one of providing adequate support to the table while at the same time providing for ready access to the storage compartment.
One possible solution would be to support the dining table with a single leg arrangement which is offset from the storage compartment. However, this poses a problem in that a single support leg structure for a dinette size table for four or more persons usually results in a rather wobbly table. (One leg is sufficient only for a small coctail table.) A wobbly table is an annoyance and results in spillage of foodstuffs etc. Attempts have been made to stabilize the table by the addition of a second leg. However, since the table overlies at least a substantial portion of the storage compartment, the addition of a second leg poses difficulties since the access cover for the storage compartment is likely to obstruct the second leg or vice versa.
Another possible solution to the problem of providing ready access to the floor storage compartment would be to provide a table leg arrangement which can be lifted up and removed altogether to provide access; however this arrangement would be cumbersome and time consuming to use. Another possible solution would be to make the table top smaller so as to permit reasonably stable support of same by a single leg. However this has obvious disadvantages since many recreational vehicles are designed to accommodate 4 to 6 people and there is an obvious need for a reasonably sized dining table if all persons using the vehicle are to dine together.